Harness-pad



(No Model.)

N. M. OAHOONE.

HARNESS PAD.

No. 402,719. Patented May 7, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NELLIE M. CAHOONE, OF NE /VARK, NEW JERSEY.

HARNESS-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,719, dated May '7, 1889.

Application filed November 14, 1888. Serial No. 290,779- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NELLIE M. CAHOONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New ark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harness; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in padding for harness-saddles and other parts of a harness; and its object is .to obtain a more durable, firm, and elastic padding; to enable the wool to be more regularly held in place on the pad-backing with greater regularity; to enable firm and close cloth of a character suitable for exposed surfaces to be employed as the backing for the wool, instead of the coarse or loosely-woven fabric, such as is employed when the wool is drawn through the backing, as in pads heretofore employed, and to thus secure an improved finish to the harness.

The invention consists in the improved harness pad or padding and in the arrangements and combinations of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like lettersof reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a saddlepad having my improvements thereon. Fig. 2 is a section of the same, taken on line 00. Fig. 3 illustrates one of the first steps in producing the padding; Fig. 4, an advanced step, and Fig. 5 illustrates in plan the padding sewed to the cloth or other backing ready for attaching to a saddle-pad or other part of a harness. Fig. 6 illustrates a method of winding the wool or fiber over a spindle or spindles, which may be used in securing a modi fied form of padding; and Fig. 7 shows said padding when woven on or over the comblike tool and the several wefts are sewed together, but not to any fabric, thus making an organized pad for use in the saddle-pad or together without a backing, and showing the tubular formation by which the spring quality is given to the fiber; and Fig. 9 is a view illustratingamodified method of forming the tubes, the wefts being wound over several spindles at once and afterward sewed together.

In said drawings, a indicates a portion of a saddle or other harness part to which the padding is applied, and 1) indicates said padding, which is preferably of Wool and is preferably exposed, so as to lie against the animals body and form a thick or deep and flat cushion therefor, although it may be covered with serge, leather, or similar material.

In constructing the padding I prefer to first weave, interlace, or braid heavy strands, c, of wool or similar padding material, in connection with a series of parallel pins or rods, d d, which are preferably united, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 at e, to give a fixed relation to the said pins or rods, one to the other, to form a convenient tool. The said strands are wound around or woven back and forth alternately over and under the pins, after the manner of ordinary basket-work. \Vhen the bed of wool or padding fiber thus formed has been brought to the proper dimensions to be applied to the backing, I superpose the interlaced or woven wool and tool upon the fabric or backing e, and then by stitching, or other equivalent means, the wool is permanently secured to the face of said backing or fabric. The backing I prefer to employ is a closelywoven fabric, such as will be presentable in harness of a fine grade, or of such a nature; as that, where uncovered, as at the opening or recess between the padded wool, it will not detract from the appearance of the harness, as it would were it of the coarse and looselywoven fabric, such as would have to be employed were the wool or padding fiber drawn through the backing, as in pads heretofore in use. The stitching is effected while the wool is still on the pins, theneedle passing between the pins along the longitudinal passages f. Thus the rows of stitching form parallel ribs g g when the stitching operation is completed. After sewing the pins are withdrawn, leaving a tube or hollow passage, k, Figs. 2 and 8, over which the fibers are arched, so that the said fibers have a spring action, by which the wool of the padding is kept soft and loose, and the pad is prevented from packing and hardening and losing the desirable qualities of a pad.

Instead of sewing the wool thus woven to the cloth or backing e, I may simply sew the wefts together bysewing the same while on the comb-like tool. I thus produce asoft tubular spring fabric which may be employed for any purpose desirable.

Instead of using parallel pins in the operation of forming the padding, I may, under some circumstances, use a spindle, such as is shown in Fi 6, over or around which the wool is spirally turned. By sewing these spiral wefts to a backing a fabric possessing some of the advantageous qualities of the first-described padding is secured. Such a construction, however, ordinarily requires greater time to effect the finished product, and is not, unless great care is exercised in the manufacture, as firm, even, and sightly; or, again, the wefts may be wound over several spindles, as in Fig. 9, and be sewed to form, when the spindles are withdrawn, a series of tubes similar to those shown in Figs. 2 and 8. The padding-wool by the method of construct-ion described is all secured on the face of the backing, where it is all effective in giving elastic firmness to the paddingtubes.

In disposing the padding upon the backing for use in saddles I prefer to arrange the wool in separate pads, as indicated in Fi 5, forming bearin gs to engage the horses back on opposite sides of the backbone or spine, and forming a recess, 11, devoid of padding, which will serve to keep the back cool at said spine. I propose to sell this backing, having the pads disposed. as described, independent of the saddle, as an article of manufacture to be inserted by the harness-maker into the said saddle.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the operation of forming and in the construction of the device without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In addition to the parallel stitching, or in lieu thereof, I may stitch, as indicated in Fig. 4, at j, where the several end wefts are shown to be basted together.

a construction I do not claim.

I am aware that a sewing-machine attachment for making tufted rugs, having a pair of tines adapted to be wound or interlaced with strips of fabric, so as to allow the sewin g-machine needle to pass between and form two series of attached loops, (see patent No. 285,735,) has been provided; but the pad made by such a construction differs very materially from the pad produced after the method herein described. In that case the strips were cut after having been sewed, producing loose ends, which lacked the spring quality produced when the wool is arched in the manner produced when ribs are formed by parallel rows of stitchin I am aware that strips of woven cloth have been sewed to backing to form rugs, the said strips, after sewing, having been cut. Such In my improvement the wool is loose or unwoven be fore it is interwoven with the rods (Z cl, and thus the ribs, when finished, are smooth and well defined, without selvage or cut edges, 820., appearing.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, is-

1. The improved harnesssaddle pad or other harness-pad, combining with a backing, b, a series of parallel ribs of loose or unwoven fiber having arches therein to form said ribs, substantially as described, and a series of rows of stitching extending at right angles to said fiber and between said ribs and holding said fiber to the backing, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The improved harness-pad herein described, combining with the saddle part a a backing, e, having wefts of fiber sewed to the face thereof at each side of a center portion, forming a recess, 2', at which the said backing is uncovered, the said wefts between the rows of stitching forming arches or uncut ribs, substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoingI have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of November, 1888.

NELIJIE M. (IAIIOO'NE.

Witnesses:

OLrvER DRAKE, E. L. SHERMAN. 

